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Individual RP: Rick [Woods]

NBP#1
Ranger San Sū-kagetsu

"I will never let the weather get the best of me. I am a Ranger. I can brave..." San cut off as his hat flew off, the gust of wind very nearly throwing him off his feet as well. The excursion into The Woods had promised to be a quiet one just yesterday; San had looked forward to strolling through and doing some sketches while Rangering. However, ever since this morning, high powered gusts of wind had been blowing, shaking the trees and angering most of the nesting birds and bugs. And yet, a Ranger all the same, San set out by himself to meet with the Trainer who had desperately been seeking to enter the woodland.

The set meeting place was a small glade near the edge of the Park; another group was supposed to meet near the gate, and San figured it would be easier to meet elsewhere to avoid confusion (and hopefully to make him look cool and edgy all by himself). A tall red flag billowed, having been planted by the National Park staff, and signaled the meeting place. San seemed to be a little bit early, which he didn't really mind. He had most of his team today, bar Gamma off helping with some grunt work on Mount Deckbi, though he would probably be joining them later on. These unnatural gusts of wind... something was going on in the Woods, and San hoped like hell they wouldn't find out what on their jaunt in.

It was that day where I was gonna get confirmation of my third run in the National Park. After those stupid Enigma Ruins and psychedelic Wormholes, this time we were going for something a little bit more... natural. Also, a few months ago, a very intriguing Bug pokémon was sold to me for quite a high price. The unique traits it had had already make it worth the price, but now I wanted to properly put it to the test. What better place to use a Bug-type than the Woods, against other bugs of its size?

Now, did I say we were getting into something more "natural"? Yeah, right... Back in the planes, Pearl keeps the weather always at a pleasant state, not too cold nor too hot. In order words... we cheat. I know, that's a crime against nature to the eyes of some people. But that's also why, away from home, I like to let nature follow its course and, whatever it wants to throw at me, I'll deal with it. It spices things up, I like that. We also don't wanna waste all energy contained on those orbs for superfulous reasons. That being said, once we crossed the sea and started heading towards the meeting point, the weather condition on the island today was absolutely terrible! Sure, this was only my third time here, maybe this is actually the norm on this side of the Park... I was hoping not!

"Ehem... You realize that if you fly above the area's fence it's still considered trespassing, right?" I said to Pearl. Hearing that, she braked. Although I don't think it would matter if she didn't, as a sudden gust that stroke us stoped her on her tracks anyways, making her back away a few meters even. "Nice start!" - I yelled, while covering my face with an arm and hugging her firmly with my legs. Stuff like these actually wasn't that rare at higher altitudes, but we weren't flying that high. "Down!" - I ordered. She dived towards the ground, before coming to a halt just a few inches above the soil, making me faceplant on her. "Hum... at least your skin is soft... unlike your stops." - I said. "Alright, this is where I leave. I am not flying with these conditions!" - I added.

I was trying to contain myself not to tamper with the weather on the Park, even though these winds were already crossing the line of the unnatural. "Where the hell did this come from?" - I muttered, while Iris jumped out of the ball from the belt, with the mane over twice the regular size, thanks to the way the flames were being blown, and I'm particularly happy that Zephir isn't one of those pokémon who jumps out of the ball whenever it gets the chance. You can just imagine what these gusts can do to a 56 pounds cat, he would be up for a roller coaster. "Look, I won't even try to figure out what's going on here, at least until we step inside the woods." - I said to Iris, which was narrowing her eyes. I looked up at Pearl, which was curled up in the air being fustigated by the storm. "And you, get inside. I'll call if we need, 'cause... I think the reason is obvious here." - I yelled, while pointing her ball and recalling her. "Now, where were we? Right, the meeting point..."

We headed towards the area's entrance, even though that wasn't exactly the place that had been established, and judging by the amount of people at the Woods' Outpost, I think I figured why. So we didn't even bother getting there, we went straight to the signaling flag a few meters ahead. There still being a flag was already a surprise. How did it not get rip off by the storm? The ranger was also there and waiting, which was a relief. Fortunately they didn't cancel the runs for today because of this. "Hello?" - I called. "I'm Rick, and I'm looking to start a run on these woods..." - I paused after a wind corrent went past me. "Is this always like this, here? The last two didn't have this kind of weather..."

San saw the Trainer land in. It sure wasn't graceful, and he'd definitely missed the landing, but San couldn't blame him; flying on a Dragonair looked hard. San was grateful he'd always had Gamma to fly him around; Gamma's broad back and soft white skin were the perfect sleeping spot...

San shrugged off his sleepy daydream as he saw the Trainer make it to the front gate and start up the hill towards him. Leaning against the flagpole, looking as cool as he could, he awaited the Trainer's arrival, though the huge winds weren't really helping his case. The Trainer arrived shortly afterwards, and led with a greeting and inquiry about the winds, which San expected. "They aren't natural at all, though I'm hoping you and I don't find the source on our little excursion. The name's San, and I'm your Ranger for today." San of course had also noticed the fire-y horse that had paced behind Rick, remarking at how well kept she was. "And that's a beautiful horse companion you've got there. Hopefully Gamma makes it back soon too, I think you'll enjoy meeting him."

The obviously confused look on Rick's face was well justified, but San shrugged it off as he motioned for Rick to follow him. Seeing a good opportunity to release one of his own Pokemon, San tapped one of the 2 Ultra Balls on his belt, releasing the great Jawsmine. Beautiful purple skin and bright, polished claws and teeth gave way to a soft, cute interior as Jawsmine the Garchomp let a small cry out and began to trot after San as well. "This is Jawsmine, my Garchomp. I like to have at least one Pokemon out just in case, I hope your Rapidash won't mind."

Looking behind him, San asked, "so, Rick, what kinda Pokemon are you looking for today? Anything I should be looking out for? Also, if this wind keeps up we might take some of the other routes to check on how bad it is for other Rangers. Gotta look out for our own and all that." And with that, San, Rick, Jawsmine and Iris started the trek into the woods. At least the wind was pushing them in for the moment...

(OOC: Sorry about the delay! I randomly got Hamilton tickets so I wasn't around last night :o )Trainer Stats

The ranger eventually confirmed that this kind of phenomena wasn't natural in this area of the Park. Probably it wasn't natural in any of the Park's areas to begin with... except maybe in Mount Oktori? I didn't know if I should be more relieved or not. In one hand it meant that, in another future run through the Park, I wouldn't have to deal with these conditions again, unless I picked the wrong place and day. But in the other, it pretty much meant that something was happening in the woods, and apparently the ranger wasn't much interested in finding out what, or at least actively searching for the source.

He also praised Iris as she came closer behind me. "Why thank you! Daily grooming makes wonders." - I responded in her behalf. "Right, she's Iris by the way." - She bowed for the ranger as greetment. "With this god damn storm I forgot half the introductions." A few moments later, San sent out a Garchomp of his ownership, asking if Iris wouldn't mind the company. "Oh, it's all good! She's used to have other pokémon nearby, despite not being the most sociable pokémon I have." - I told him. "She only becomes more selective about those who can get into her personal space, but even then, the pokémon from rangers aren't exactly stangers." - I added. It was a common practice for rangers to have a pokémon out at all times, so were used to that. Some would even recommend their trainers to do the same.

We went ahead into the forest, when San asked if I had any pokémon in mind for taking. "Well... there are a few ones on my list." - I told San, while pulling a paper sheet from the belt pocket. "So, we have... Beedrill, Scyther, Galvantula... for some reason I don't have Ariados here, I may have forgot, but that would be great, too..." - I paused scratching my chin. "And that's it. Whatever I can find besides that, I'll decide in the moment If I get it or not. I'm pretty sure some people would be interested in some leggyboys, aswell, but this 3 pokémon limit..."

Rick seemed to be in the Woods for the standard fare: bugs and bugs, with a side of bugs. The trek was pretty peaceful for the Woods; the wind had slowly petered out for the time being, and with the disturbance that it had caused having displaced most of the Pokemon, they were able to walk virtually unopposed by territorial Pokemon, and even debris since most of it had been blow aside.

Rick was a pleasure to talk to, and you could really tell that he cared for his Pokemon; Iris was in pristine condition, and that Dragonair earlier looked very healthy as well. Though he had packed relatively on the lighter side, that meant they were able to move at a relatively faster pace, and by noontime they had made it to one of the larger clearings in the middle of the Woods.

"We'll take a small break here. Don't wanna keep Jawsmine walking on an empty stomach, and I'm sure I could use some food too." The idea of a peaceful lunch was quickly interrupted by the wind starting up, however; the large gusts nearly blowing the food out of San's hands. This time, however, there seemed to be something more sinister...

And the ground began to shake... and then fall. "Quick, recall Iris!" Two flashes of red later, Jawsmine and Iris were safely inside their Pokeballs as Rick and San fell through the earth.

~~~~~~~~~~

Grassy rubble and dust was everywhere as San fought his way back up out of the ground that had fallen on him. He quickly searched for Rick, whom he saw also getting up. As San's eyes adjusted to the new darkness, something he didn't expect popped into view: stone. They weren't in a hole; they'd fallen into some sort of ancient underground structure. "You okay Rick? Manage to grab Iris in time?" San asked as they both brushed themselves off.

There wasn't much time to gather themselves, however; a skittering and small cries in the dark told them that they weren't alone...

We walked deeper into the woods. For several hours, we didn't have anything out of extraordinary. The winds have settled a bit for once, but apparently such a thing made several, if not all pokémon in the surroundings to go out and find shelter somewhere. We eventually decided to stop for a lunch break. Iris had the advantage of being what she is when it comes to feeding - pretty much everything that is green she calls food - and for me... well, I didn't bring any with me, so I had to deal with that.

But it didn't matter anyway, 'cause after less than a minute or so, the strong winds started blowing us again, and this time it would come with an extra bonus, as the ground also started shaking. "Ah... I should've learned by now it's never this peacefull..." - I muttered while covering my eyes. A few moments after the initial tremors, the ground below our feet started colapsing. "No questions asked!" - I said to Iris while shooting the beam from her ball. She wasn't paying attention, so didn't even react to it. We only had time to recall our pokémon and... yeah, that's it...

Thankfully, the soil managed to reach the floor before we did, which made the landing a bit more soft. After getting my face out of the dust and spitting out the grass-n-soil salad from my mouth, 'cause I'm not a vegetarian nor a geophagic, I pulled out my buried legs. I remained layed down on my side for a bit, holding my head with a hand and fingering the sand with the other. "So... besides gusts of wind and secretly hidden underground structures, what else is unnatural here?" - I asked to San, mostly as a joke.

"Light, please!" - I said, while knocking on Iris's ball for her to go out, which... still had a mouthful of grass on her mouth from when she was grazing before the interruption. "Sorry about that... you can continue with what you were doing, now... oh" - I paused for a second, as she looked at the floor. "Well... you could, if there was any grass around. My bad!" - I added with a grin. Her ears dropped as she swallowed the few leaves on her mouth. After getting up, I took a look at the ceiling, and then around us before sighing. "Well... since we're here, might aswell take a look at this place. Should be more interesting than just trees and... more trees." - I said.

Meanwhile, I few noises could be heard nearby. One of Iris's ears perked up, directing the insides towards the dark corridor. "And..." - I rubbed my chin while turning towards the corridor. "We could also say hi to whatever came here to welcome us." - I said in a higher tone.

The return of Rapidash gave ample lighting for the dark crevice they had landed in. The stone structure didn't even seem to phase Rick, as he cracked a joke. However, he too soon noticed the skittering, as if something was watching just out of sight, assessing them. San really couldn't blame whatever it was; they'd quite literally just dropped in uninvited. However, he couldn't have something aggressive be left alone, and grabbed a Pokeball off of his belt. A flash of red, and a slight rumble as Ajani the Venusaur hit the ground, and shook the dust that unsettled on his arrival off of his shiny coat and foliage.

"Ajani, use one of your flash seeds please. Do be careful of your eyes Rick, and you too Iris!" San said, turning away as a small, bright seed popped out of Ajani's bloom, detonating in midair with a loud pop, and scaring the lurker out of its quiet watching. Arms of lavendar and majenta, with large protrusions and deadly stingers heralded one of the more fierce Pokemon in the park, as the Drapion cried out at the bright light exploding very close to where it was watching. Once it recovered, however, it realized its exposure and stepped forward; Drapion are usually very proud of their strength, and this one looked no different, being more than willing to step up to a challenge.

San left Venusaur out; being a Grass and a Poison Pokemon, it would prove invaluable in stopping Drapion if things went too far. However, he hopped on Venusaur's back and directed him backwards so they wouldn't be in the way. "This one's yours now Rick; we may be underground but all the rules still apply. We'll be here if you need us." San said, eager to watch Rick in action.

"Can I open now?" - I asked, after hearing the seed popping in the air. The bright light that was emited from it soon revealed a Drapion that was spying in the dark corridor. After being exposed, it left its hiding place and stepped forward its guests... of course I doubt he would consider us guests by all means.

"Hum... and here I was thinking I was gonna use this guy right off the bat." - I said while holding a Dusk Ball. Iris walked to my side as I bounced the ball on my hand before puting it back on my belt "I guess it will have to wait, for I'll leave that scorpion to you, dear." She leaped to my front, adopting a fighting stance with sprayed legs and the horn pointed at her foe. "That thing is poisonous. Don't you even try getting up close to it. For now, at least." - I told her. Even without poison, these guys had some brute strength too.

In response to past events, I took a brief look at the surroundings. At first glance I didn't see anything that could easily trigger a wild fire, so we didn't seem too limited to what we could attempt - might be a good thing we ended up in an underground structure like this, it's way safer than a forest - and there was at least some room for Iris to maneuver. Not exactly the most spacious, but still much better that some areas we had to fight at. "Now, lets try something simple to see how that thing reacts. Fire Blast!" - I called as I pointed at the Drapion. She reared up and tossed her head as her hooves came down, shooting a fire ball from her mouth that took the form of a star-shaped flame as it headed towards the Drapion.

San duly noted the intense look of seriousness on Rick's face as he stepped up to confront the Drapion. With eyes burning as bright as his Pokemon's fiery mane, he ordered it to unleash ones of its strongest attacks, the Fire Blast. San noted that Rick had taken the environment into account; there was little chance of a fire breaking out in the stone walls of the chasm, and the Drapion looked more than strong enough to take the hit.

Clacking carapace began moving as the fireball spread into its signature star formation. At first, San thought Drapion was flailing its arms in exasperation; that was, until the wind hit him. Drapion had called forth a massive Whirlwind; it stopped the fire in its tracks, intimidated the hell out of Iris, and made Drapion proud of its power once more. San noticed a small spot where it looked like Drapion hadn't been able to blow away the fire, and it looked to be cradling it as un-noticeably as possible.

Rick didn't look visually shaken, and Iris quickly came back under control. Drapion still looked to be a mighty threat, however, and Rick would need to come up with something better than a full-on assault to stop this beast.

Encounter Stats: 98%
Wild Drapionused Whirlwind

vs

100%
Iris the Female Rapidashused Fire Blast, but most of it was blown away

The Drapion stood ground as the Fire Blast headed towards it, and for a moment my thought was "more of the same". Only then the scorpion showed a trick up its sleeve, and blocked the flames with a strong gust, making Iris step back a few feet from the initial startle - Whirlwind isn't exactly a move you'd expect from a Drapion... nor anything that is not a Flying-type for the matter, even though there are some indeed some special cases like this one. "Huh... nice! I'll give this one a 10 out of 10 already, for not being like the many other pokémon, who just sit there and wait to get hit for only then to take action." - I commented while making a few steps forward after the wind petering out. "That's actually the main reason we don't get into those arena matches that much..." - I muttered.

The Drapion remained in the same spot, clamping its claws and waiting for the next move. Iris shook her head before giving a small leap to my side again. "This might actually get interesting." - I said, before looking at her from the corner of the eye. "So... I told you not to get close to him? Well, put the flame cloak then, 'cause you are going up close, actually." - I told her. She readied herself for a charge, with flames covering her body for extra protection while pawing the ground. "Ready?" - I asked, to which she nodded in response.

I pointed at the Drapion and she bolted towards it. Of course, we weren't going head-on to those claws. That would be pretty much asking to get shredded. "Get behind him. And give him a High Horsepower!" - I ordered. After a few strides, she made a jump over the Drapion, landing behind him on her front legs and with her hinds pulled back and ready to shoot at the target.